Julian Barrett (Eric Roberts) was once the director of the “Summer Camp” horror franchise. Mysteriously, he accrues the funding for a reboot. The set up is a reality TV show, Dead.TV, where a group of wayward young adults are brought to the original location of Summer Camp, Camp Sunfish, counselled by the actors (Brian Gallagher & Felissa Rose) and are eliminated until one survivor is left. The only problem is the eliminations are permanent.

As far as performances, the prolific Roberts is fantastic in this more supporting role, meeting the material perfectly and is supporting solid performances from everyone else. The problem is every other role is filled with the standard quality of slasher acting; over-the-top but never truly bad.

This style that extends into almost all facets of the film, like the special (I think practical?) effects and the characters. None of them are awful, they’re just…slasher standard. Having said this, there are some things that stood out.

I was reminded of My Little Eye which, while being a different kind of horror film, found a similar connection between the faking and game playing of reality TV contestants and the evasive lying of suspects in a horror. Camp Dread delivers this well and uses it to great effect, especially for the grand and surprising ending.

Obviously the filmmakers are horror fans, lacing the film with meta ideas like reboots and knowing parallels and nods to slasher classics like Friday The 13^th and Sleepaway Camp. However despite all this meta, it never elevates over being just another slasher itself, feeling more a like a Scream sequel than the genre revitalising original. It’s a knowing that comes across as a hearkening back to old slashers in a modern setting instead of taking the genre to a new place like it thinks it is.

If you like your slashers this is on the upper end of the genre, but it goes for revolutionary and instead ends up nostalgic.

Out in Cinemas May 19^th and on DVD June 23^rd

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